Car-coupling



(No Model. 2 SheetsSheet 1.

P. HIEN. GARGOUPLING.

NO. 598,990. Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILLIP l-IIEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters llatent N 0. 598,990, dated February 15, 1898.

Application filed April 23, 1895.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILLIP HIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car-couplers, and more particularly to automatic couplers of that class in which the action of the parts in uncoupling sets the parts in position'for automatic recoupling when companion couplers are brought together in an open position.

The prime object of this invention is to ob viate the necessity for the brakernan holding the releasing or looking and releasing device until the act of uncoupling is completed, thereby enabling a single brakeman to sue cessively set a large number of cars for uncoupling whenever pulled apart.

Another object is to have a coupler capable of being so set, at the same time self-setting, for automatic relocking Whenever the cars are pulled apart or the knuckles are thrown open.

These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 represents a plan view of a coupler embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section taken on a plane with the upper face of the knuckle. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts in a moved position. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of the releasing-pin.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the draw- Ings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates the draw-bar, B the draw-head, and O the knuckle pivoted to the front end of the draw-head, which parts are constructed generally on the lines of this I class of couplers, and there is a companion Serial no. 546,872. (No model.)

coupler with the knuckle oppositely arranged, as usual, this general class being so well understood in the art that it is not deemed necessaryto illustrate or describe the joint action of the companion couplers in detail.

The knuckle O is provided with a tailpiece D, extending into the chamber of the drawhead when the knuckle is in closed position, and is provided with a flat side face to engage With a horizontally-moving lock-block E, pivoted at one end, as at F, to the drawhead and normally actuated to project for.- ward into engagement with the tailpiece under the influence of a coil-spring G, confined between the rearface of the block and the end of a socket in the draw-bar. This lockblock is swung on its pivot, so as to release the tailpiece by a releasing device, which is substantially of the shape of a bell-crank lever, pivoted at H in suitable bearings at the top of the draw-head, one arm I of such lever lying outside of the draw-head andprojectingabove the same, and the other arm J projecting through a slot in the draw-head down into the chamber in the draw-head and into a groove K, formed in the upper face of the lock-block, near the outer end thereof. The upper end of the bell-crank lever is so shaped as to close the slot against the entrance of snow and dirt when the parts are in their bail L for convenience of attaching a chain or other device thereto for operating the coupler from the side of the car. Obviously, however, this release device may be operated by hand, if desired.

. It will be readily understood thatWhen the lock-block is in its normal locking position the pin will be in the slot thereiif, with the shoulder on the outer arm I of the releasing device resting upon the top of the draw-head. When, however, the releasing device is swung upon its pivot, the arm J thereof 'Willimpinge against the lock-block and force it back on its pivot, overcoming the tension of the spring G and releasing the tailpiece of the knuckle. To reduce the friction and render the releasing operation easy of accomplishment by hand, I mount in the lower end of the arm J an antifriction-roller M, which works directly upon the lock-block and relieves the friction which would otherwise occur between the two members moving in different directions.

In order to avoid the necessity for holding the releasing device until the act of uncoupling is effected, I provide an automatic stop device which is designed to drop down in front of the lock-block when it is moved to release position, so as to hold the block in this position until the knuckle is thrown open, in which action the tailpiece lifts the stop until it rides upon the upper face of the lockblock, when the latter will move out to looking position, following the tailpiece, which is now released, and sustaining the stop device in its elevated position. The parts are now in position for automatic reooupling and the tailpiece, when swinging back to position, will force the lock-block back until it passes the the forward end thereof, and when the lockblock is thrownback by the releasing device the stop device drops by gravity down in front of the lock-block and prevents its return to its forward locking position, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5.

The under or lower edge of the stop device is provided with a cam-surface which projects down into the path of movement of the tailpiece of the knuckle, so that when the tailpiece moves outward to open position it 1 lifts the stop device, thereby permitting the j lock-block to move forward under the influence of its actuatingspring to a position under the stop device, which it then maintains in an elevated position. To facilitate this operation, the rear face of the stop device, near the forward end thereof, is provided at P with a beveled or inclined surface, which is engaged by the upper edge of the lock-block as the latter moves forward to insure the retaining of the stop in elevated position in the act of .reooupling, when the tailpiece throws the block slightly beyond the normal rear lower edge of the stop device. The provision of this incline also avoids the necessity for exactness in fitting the parts and allows for slight play which will result, both in operation and from wear of the parts, without detriment to the operativeness of the device.

The arm N is prevented from falling too low by the lower edge thereof engaging the ledge Q upon the draw-head in its lowest position. \Vhen in this lowest position, the upper edge of the incline P is in a plane below the upper face of the lock-block, so that the force of the latter cannot raise the stop device until it has been lifted by the tailpiece sufiiciently for the engagement of the upper forward edge of the block with the inclined surface.

Of course numerous forms of stop devices may be employed for accomplishing the .desired object- 00 wit, the holding of the locking-jaw in release position until the knuckle is open, in which action the locking-jaw is permitted to swing back to locked position for automatically relocking when the knuckle is again moved to closed position.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an automatic coupler, the combination with a tailpiece of the knuckle, and a spring-actuated lock-block therefor pivoted at one end, of a release device for said block, and a stop device comprising an arm pivoted at one end and having a cam on its lower edge, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic coupler, the combination with the tailpiece of the knucklc, and a spring-actuated pivoted lock-block, of a stop device for said block consisting of a pivoted arm provided with a cam on its lower edge, and an incline or bevel on its rear face, substantially as described.

, PHILLIP IIIEN.

Witnesses:

' M. E. SHIELDS,

W. R. OMOHUNDRO. 

